On The Deathbed
by freak and proud
Summary: Anamaria has nothing keeping her on the Black Pearl, but stays anyway... And it aint for the food... But then it all goes wibbly... IF THIS ISN'T FINISHED, IT NEVER WILL BE. Sorry.
1. In Which Anamaria Saves A Life

A/N: This is a little fic that I knocked up to prove that I'm not dead. I'm just not putting up the fics as fast coz of evil school. Plus that and I'm moving to New Zealand. Which is kind of inconvienient…

Disclaimer: Nope, nothing. Not even an eye patch…

Anamaria sat on the other side of the mess hall to Jack. She picked at the food on her plate. Jack had brought her the boat she owed him. Brought it ages ago. So why hadn't she left?

Gibbs came and sat next to her, jerking her out of her thoughts

"What are you up to girl? Are you on watch tonight?"

"No," she replied

"Well, d'ye want to go a few hands with me n Cotton n the lads?"

"Go on then," she said. _Anything to keep my mind off him._

Him being Jack Sparrow. Recently he had been invading her thoughts more, even her dreams. She hated that. Her mind was her own. Her fortress. No one was allowed in. She tossed and turned in her hammock at nights, trying to get him out. She had managed to disturb quite a few shipmates with it, and now she took early watches and the late ones, so everyone would be deeply asleep when she came to bed.

Gibbs PoV

Gibbs was worried in a small way. He had being watching Anamaria. She was increasingly gloomy. The only time she seemed to be happy was when she was with Jack. Gibbs could see what that meant. Just because he acted the old salty seadog with a pickled brain didn't mean he was. He sipped from his hipflask and hoped that the girl wouldn't do anything stupid.

Anamaria's PoV

Anamaria mooched around the deck. She wasn't doing much at the moment. She leant over the side. What was that?

"Captain! I can see something!" she waved. Jack was already there with his telescope.

"Nice one. It's a cargo ship, low on the water," he put away the telescope "Action stations you scurvy dogs!"

Anamaria took her place and plunged into the melee. She kept half an eye on what Jack was doing. When he had got to the captain of the cargo ship, she followed and stayed close as back up. She watched the two men dance back and forth along the ship. Then the captain made a wild blow. It caught Jack in the stomach. He gasped and choked and fell to the deck. She suddenly couldn't see anything for the rage that overtook her. She dropped her sword and pulled her gun out of her belt. Grabbing the captain by the hair, she jerked his head to her mouth and held the gun to his head.

"Surrender or I'll laminate you across this deck. And don't think I won't," she jerked his head and jacked a bullet into the gun "Just give me an excuse,"

The captain licked his lips. Anamaria was both surprised and disgusted to see that there were tears in his eyes.

"I surrender," he whispered. She let him go and wiped her hand as though she had dealt with something unpleasant.

They got the goods out just as the ships barrels of gunpowder blew. Anamaria granted them permission to stay in the brig until they reached land. Then she ran back to Jack. He still lay, covered in blood. Gibbs knelt over him. As she reached him he carefully put Jack's hat over his face, how he liked to wear it if he was sleeping, and made the sign of the cross.

"Oh god. Please don't say it," she knelt beside him. Tears started. "Oh god,"

Gibbs finished his prayer and put a rough but kind hand on her shoulder. He didn't say anything, got up and walked away. She was left alone with her grief.

Jack was put in his cabin. Anamaria sat by him. The crew came in to pay their last respects. The ugly wound on his stomach was stitched. Anamaria was determined that he would go wherever the souls of pirates went whole. She scrubbed away tears fiercely. Well, there was nothing keeping her now. She could move onto the ship Jack had brought her and get her own crew, like she had always planned.

Midnight came and went. Anamaria still kept her lonely vigil. The rest of the crew went about their nightly activities solemnly. She spoke to the body as she sat.

"Well, you bastard, what do you think? I suppose you must be enjoyin' watchin' this. All this sadness for you!" she smiled and fresh tears came. She wiped them and showed the damp handkerchief to him "See? Even I'm cryin'!" suddenly, she went from being sad to angry. "See, you arse! I dint cry at my own dad's funeral! And now I'm crying for you!" she threw the handkerchief onto the bed "How dare you! How dare you die you bastard!" she smacked his chest and then sat down again, head in hands

"How dare you…" she broke off and sobbed harshly, "I never even got to tell you…" she broke off again. She looked out the window. The sun was coming up. It poked its rays into the room. She smiled and wiped her eyes. "Too late now though. I suppose it wouldn't have made much difference anyway," she stood up. Soon, there would be a funeral. She wiped her eyes for the last time. Then she bent down to Jack's ear

"Goodbye Jack. Take this with you, where ever you go," and she kissed him, lightly, on his lips. She went to move away, but suddenly realised she was being kissed back. She pulled away in fright

"You bastard!" she screamed. "You're supposed to be dead!"

"Am I not?" Jack blinked blearily. "Well, would you look at that," he smiled "That was a very nice wake up,"

Anamaria started to laugh

"You weren't dead! You…" she made as if to box his ears

"Hey, I'm still your captain," he warned

"I know! That's the problem!" she put her head in her hands again. Jack chuckled.

"Never bothered me," he winced "I feel like I've been split in two,"

"Close," she shrugged and then got back to the problem "I'm gonna go and get my own crew in Tortuga. Leave the Pearl,"

"What?" Jack tried to sit up, but found it too painful, laid back wincing and settled for saying "You can't!"

"I can and will!" she snapped

"As your captain I order you to stay!" Jack said sharply.

"Yeah, well I quit!"

"Well, you're on a ship surrounded by water. There's not far you can go,"

"I still quit!" Anamaria slammed out the room. She went up to the wheel and put her fingers in her mouth. She whistled

"There's good news! You're captain aint dead. He's in there now. I suggest one of you go see to him," she walked off.

About half an hour later she was being dragged to the brig. On captain's orders. Apparently, since she had quit, she wasn't allowed a run of the ship. So she was stuck in a cell, with the crew of the other ship in the other. The worst thing was the captain of the other ship looked at her as though she was the devil himself. It would have been funny in any other situation. But as it was, it wasn't. After calling Jack all the names under the sun she settled down and ignored the world.

A/N: You know, I thought this would be a one shot. It aint though. At least one more chappie should do it. It's a fairly easy plot…


	2. In Which Jack Sits With The Dead

A/N: After the kind of enthusiastic response from everyone, I thought, I know, I'll write the next chapter, and who knows? I might even get round to putting it up. Well, if you're reading it, it's quite obvious you have… Oh shut up brain… Ooh! This is for the ever lovely, and probably quite fragrant Anamaria's Lil Sidekick. Loving your work babe!

Anamaria lay on her back and stared up at the pool of light from the porthole. She cursed, but methodically. She started with the fact she was lying on a small but annoying stone, and worked up to the reason she was lying on the stone was because of Jack Sparrow. She spent a lot of time cursing Sparrow. She spent even more time thinking of new things to call him. She was mulling over the properties of "kleptomaniac cytoplasm" when there was a noise from outside. She stood up and went to the bars. She hollered till Rob, the new lad came down. He had been a farm boy on a merchant ship that they had run into, and had decided piracy had its merits. That sort of decision is easy when you're staring into a loaded gun.

"What's happening Rob?"

"It's a fight miss! It was better guarded than the Cap'n thought. We need every man!"

"What, so that kleptomaniac cytoplasm," Yes, that had a good ring to it, "wants me to fight for him?"

"Please miss, it's bad!" she looked at the white face of the boy in front. He had blood on his jacket, and on his face. She rubbed her nose, and then reached into her pocket and pulled out a rag that once upon a time, had been a silk handkerchief.

"Spit," the boy obeyed and she rubbed the blood off his face.

"Th-thank you miss,"

"You gonna unlock the door?" she tucked the handkerchief away and the boy unlocked the door. She picked up her sword, left on the rough bench the guard's sometimes used. Then she followed Rob up the stairs.

Jack dodged a flailing fist to see Anamaria come up and blink in the light. She caught his eye, and raised an eyebrow. Then she raised her sword and brought the butt of it down hard on someone's head. Jack was suddenly aware of a cannon ball whistling past his ear. He yelled something incomprehensible, and leapt back in.

The fight had raged for a good ten minutes. The pirates were outnumbered, but Will and Jack had spent sometime telling the pirates how to make someone go down and stay down on the beach the last time they had been in Port Royal. This meant they spent less time on each man, meaning they could get about faster. It worked. They were slowly wearing them back.

"Boarding party! Now!" Jack roared. He had lost his hat. That was annoying. But the boarding party were already swinging over. He laughed and hit a man on the nose. Then he saw her.

A Navy boy had cornered Anamaria, by some strange twist of fate. The man was waving the sword like he'd been born with it- a painful experience for any mother made worse. He moved like a cat. He was bad news. Anamaria was only able to just stop his blows, as she was forced closer and closer to the side. He tried to reach her, but a boy no older than fifteen was in the way. He punched him, and the boy reeled. His gun went off and Jack felt something hit bone. He clutched on arm and ran forwards just in time to see the man sink his sword into Anamaria's chest. He groaned as he saw it come out the other side. He pulled out the sword and approached Jack. He was the first mate. Jack grabbed him. Over the mates shoulder he could see Anamaria collapse on the deck, her mouth a surprised o.

"You will surrender," the man was taller than he was, but Jack tugged him until he had to move to look him in the eye, or get throttled. Dimly, he knew pain was happening, but it was far away, distanced by the red mist of rage dimming his eye. "Surrender, or I promise you will die,"

"I'll surrender! God, I didn't want this! It wasn't-," the boy sobbed. Jack dropped him. Only a baby, barely out of nappies. The mate went away, and there was a quietening of battle, until all that could be heard was the flapping of the ropes, and bodies being dragged.

((()))((()))((()))Anamaria's PoV((()))((()))((()))

She felt the blade slide into her shoulder and gasped as it scraped bone. The sailor with the sword pulled it out, horrified as her shirt tore.

"Oh god. Oh god…" he said, "I'm so sorry miss. I-I didn't know,"

Anamaria tried to make a tart reply, but she was finding it hard to breathe. She felt like her veins were full of freezing hot lead. The sailor had tears running down his face.

"I didn't know you was a woman miss. I didn't want to kill!" Anamaria sunk down as he stumbled off. Someone grabbed him. Someone with a familiar red bandana. And a red stain on his shirt that turned to grey as she pitched forward. The deck came up to meet her, and she fell through the deck into a sucking warm darkness.

((()))((()))((()))Jack's PoV((()))((()))((()))

Jack found Anamaria lying where she had fallen. Her shirt was torn and soaked to her. she muttered as he lifted her head.

"Gibbs! Gibbs you drunken sot! Get here. We've got a live one!" he tried to keep the relief out of his face. Gibbs pulled over two other men who picked up Anamaria and carried her away.

They buried the dead that night, sending them off with a cannonball at their feet and gold coins on their eyes, for any magistrates they would have to bribe, or innkeepers to pay, or captain's to be paid by. Jack attended, a bandage round his arm. The bullet had come out easily enough. Now he had to avoid the infection. Then he went to the sick bay, where there was Rob, who had lost an arm in the battle, and Anamaria. She muttered feverishly. The doctor's boy checked in, and then went to toast his dead mates. Jack fetched a bowl of water and mopped Anamaria's head.

"Come on girl. Don't you give up now."

He sat with her all that night, never moving. He should have gone out to toast the dead, to send them down to Davy Jones and say the bit of Bible that he knew to make it official. He should have entered it all in the log. But instead he sat by a soul half submerged in death, waiting out the lonely night.

A/N: And that's it for now. I promise there will be more. Love you all. (Slade's 'So Here It Is Merry Christmas starts) It's CHRIIIIIIIIIISTMASSSSS! 'Ave a good 'un. See yas.


	3. Bring Me To Life

A/N: Good Chrimble? I thought this might be a funky way to do the last (possibly) chapter. Go figure. This only happened because I was listening to it at the time. Based on **Bring Me To Life** by the ever cheerful **Evanescence**. Yay.

_**How can you see into my eyes like open doors/**_

_**Leading you down into my core/**_

_**Where I've become so numb/ **_

_**Without a soul my spirit's sleeping somewhere cold/ **_

_**Until you find it there and lead it back home/**_

Jack woke with a snort and peered round. He had fallen asleep in a funny position and his neck was killing him. He looked down on Anamaria. Her face had an unhealthy glisten and she was muttering again. He reached down automatically to the bowl and cloth beside him.

"Jack?" he stopped and bent over the bed

"Anamaria?" her eyes snapped open and Jack looked into her eyes and for a moment was drowning in them…

"Jack… it's cold. I'm cold Jack. Have I fallen in the sea?"

"Not quite,"

"'M sleepy. Don't want to sleep Jack…"

_**Wake me up/**_

_**Wake me up inside(I can't wake up)/**_

_**Wake me up inside(Save me)/**_

_**Call my name and save me from the dark(Wake me up)/**_

_**Bid my blood to run(I can't wake up)/**_

_**Before I come undone(Save me)/**_

_**Save me from the nothing I've become/**_

"Jack? Jack!" Anamaria called out. She'd fallen asleep again. She tried to wake up. It was getting dark and as she watched it grew dimmer. Anamaria had never liked the dark. Too many bad memories. "Jack! I can't wake up! Can you wake me up? Please? I need- I need help. I can't stop it…"

_**Now that I know what I'm without/**_

_**You can't just leave me/**_

_**Breathe into me and make me real/**_

_**Bring me to life/**_

She was asleep again. Jack felt her pulse. There wasn't one.

"Anamaria? Anamaria! You can't die! I order you not to die! You can't!" He patted her hands frantically and tried to think through the panic that was starting to fog his brain. This couldn't be real, could it?

_**(Wake me up)/**_

_**Wake me up inside (I can't wake up)/**_

_**Wake me up inside (Save me)/**_

_**Call my name and save me from the dark (Wake me up)/**_

_**Bid my blood to run (I can't wake up)/**_

_**Before I come undone (Save me)/**_

_**Save me from the nothing I've become/**_

"Anamaria? Anamaria!"

"Who's there?" she spun round, like it would help. All it did was make her dizzy and disorientate her even more. She felt like she was unraveling inside, becoming nothing at all.

"ANAMARIA!"

_**Bring me to life/**_

_**(I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside)/**_

_**Bring me to life/**_

Vaguely remembering something he saw somewhere at an unimportant little harbour, he balled his fists together and thumped her on the chest three times.

"I wish you were drowning. At least I would know it had a success rate," he said quietly, sitting back down. "I suppose I should be safe to tell you now." He held her cold hand and interlaced his fingers with hers. "I don't know how to tell you… like I've been living the lie for so long…" he stopped. He should feel grief. He probed his emotions. He felt… nothing. "I- I love… Oh for pity's sake. I LOVE YOU!" he almost yelled in her unheeding ear, still gripping her hand tightly.

_**Frozen inside without your touch/**_

_**Without your love darling/**_

_**Only you are the life among the dead/**_

She was so cold. She was going numb and distantly knew she had fallen down. _This is it. I'm actually going to die. _She thought vaguely. But- no, she felt warmer. Her hand was warm. In fact, it was more than warm. She was burning. Or her hand was. She looked at it in horror as she saw the imprint of a hand clutching hers, which glowed clearer and brighter till she had to shield her eyes. There was a figure in front of her…

_**All this time I can't believe I couldn't see/**_

_**Kept in the dark but you were there in front of me/**_

_**I've been sleeping a thousand years it seems/**_

_**Got to open my eyes to everything/**_

_**Without a thought without a voice without a soul/**_

_**Don't let me die here/**_

_**There must be something more/**_

_**Bring me to life/**_

She opened them again. Her hand was still warm and she ached all over.

"Where am I? Oh…" she realized and suddenly there was a familiar pair of kohl rimmed eyes above her.

"You're awake. You're awake! She's awake!"

"Yes. God, I feel like I was asleep for a thousand years." She reached up to rub her eyes and stifled a scream as her shoulder protested.

"Don't move. It was a terrible wound, terrible."

"It was strange. It was so dark… but you were there. I think I saw someone," Anamaria felt warm and cosy and slightly drunk. Jack was holding her hand. She caressed it gently.

"You came for me. You didn't let me die there." She closed her eyes, and slept.

_**(Wake me up)/**_

_**Wake me up inside (I can't wake up)/**_

_**Wake me up inside (Save me)/**_

_**Call my name and save me from the dark (Wake me up)/**_

_**Bid my blood to run (I can't wake up)/**_

_**Before I come undone (Save me)/**_

_**Save me from the nothing I've become/**_

Anamaria woke up screaming. It was dark and cold. She was all alone…

"Shh," someone was holding her, stroking her hair. She breathed in a familiar scent, a mix of salt and spice and rum "It's all right. It's fine, Anamaria, go back to sleep,"

"Love you," she mumbled, closing her eyes.

"Love you back," Jack said to her, and kissed the top of her head.

_**(Bring me to life)/**_

_**I've been living a lie, there's nothing inside/**_

_**(Bring me to life)/**_

Jack stood at the helm of the _Pearl_, watching the horizon dance tantalizingly out of reach. He felt a hand on his shoulder and looked round into Anamaria's face.

"Hey," she said smiling at him.

"Hey,"

"I suppose we need to talk," she said, looking out on the sea. Jack turned back to the wheel.

"Do we?" To anyone looking up at the wheel, it looked like they were talking about the weather or the best course from here. "What could there possibly be that's so important you have to talk to me about it?"

"Well, we could start with the fact that… I'm in love with you, and with any luck you're in love with me,"

"Is that so?"

"Well, you had better be, because I feel very stupid right now, and would dearly love it if a hole came up and swallowed me,"

"Well, I wouldn't. One, because it would make a dirty great hole in my ship, which would vex me, to say the least, not to mention it would sink it, and also because I happen to love you too, so you falling into the deeps would be annoying, especially as I have just made that particular confession, and would think nothing of throwing myself after you, for much the same reasons as you,"

"Um," some of Jack's speech hadn't made sense, as he was saying it very fast and quietly with the sort of look on his face that suggested death to anyone who ever repeated the conversation. It was safe with Anamaria, who hadn't understood most of it anyway.

"Land! Land off the starboard bow! Land and women!" called Charlie.

"That boys got a one track mind if you ask me," said Jack staring at the dark hump of land that rose out of the sea.

"Anamaria! Come 'ere gel! Need a second opinion on this'n!" one of the men called

Anamaria muttered

"Talk later," and rushed off with her face flushed under her tan.

The moon streamed in through the port hole, and she could hear the waves lap gently at the sides of the ship. Distantly the sounds of laughter, music and song came from the shore. She shifted slightly, and Jack muttered into her hair and pulled her closer. His hair fell across her face, and she breathed in his scent like she was drowning. He muttered something about scissors and hedges. She smiled and caressed his arm till he quieted and closed her eyes and slept, unafraid and sure she belonged.

Maybe she would get her own ship next year.

A/N: Did anyone spot the Edward Scissorhands reference? I watched that today. It's so sweet. The Burton/Depp dream team does it again. They can't make a bad movie!

That's it. The proverbial happy ending. Could have been worse, considering it was based on an Evanescence number…

Fin


End file.
